Batting

KISSIMMEE, Fla.—Matt Mulhearn and Adrian Santiago combined to shut down #18 UMass Boston baseball's offense for the final eight innings, to lead #15 Webster College past the Beacons 6-4 in Florida.

THE BASICS

#15 Webster University 6, #18 UMass Boston 4

(UMass Boston 2-4)

(Webster 8-2)

HOW IT HAPPENED

Mulhearn and Santiago combined to strike out 14 Beacons batters and limited UMass Boston to just one run over the final eight frames.

Mulhearn earned the win after striking out nine and scattering 10 hits and four runs over six innings. Santiago came on in relief and earned the save, after issuing three walks and striking out five over three scoreless innings.

For the Beacons, six relievers combined to hold to the Gorloks to one earned run over the final seven innings. Sophomore Aaron Bolduc (Powder Springs, Ga.) led the way with two scoreless frames, while Patrick Maguire (Peabody, Mass.) and Mike Doherty (Brewster, Mass.) also added a scoreless frame.

Brandon Cellucci (Wynantskill, N.Y.) led the Beacons offense with two hits and an RBI. Anthony Cecere (Wakefield, Mass.) added two hits and a run scored, while Danny Brown (Hudson, N.H.) was the final Beacon with multiple hits.

UMass Boston got off to good start in the battle of top-25 teams, as they jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the top of the first. Cecere doubled with one out and came in to score on Cellucci's RBI single. Nick Herzog (Riverhead, N.Y.) followed with a run-scoring triple and he came in to score on Ryan McCormick's (Cumberland, R.I.) RBI single.

Webster got on the board in the bottom of the second, when Aron Hopp worked a bases-loaded walk with two down.

The home team took the lead for good with a four-run third. Each of the first three batters reached, forcing the Beacons to go to their bullpen. Webster tied the game on another bases-loaded walk and a sacrifice fly and then added two more runs to grab a 5-3 advantage.

The Gorloks added a sixth run in the fourth after a double and back-to-back singles. With two on and no outs, Bolduc came on in relief and stranded both runners after a strikeout, a foul out and a groundout.

UMass Boston had their best chance to tie the game in the seventh. Charlie Huegi (Sandy Hook, Conn.) led off with a double and the Beacons loaded the bases on back-to-back walks. Kyle Boudrias (Medford, Mass.) plated Huegi on a sacrifice fly, but Santiago stranded both runners in scoring position with a strikeout and groundout.

The Beacons put a runner in scoring position in each of the next two innings, but couldn't scratch across any further runs against Santiago.

BY THE NUMBERS

The Beacons batters struck out 14 times, while their pitchers struggled with their control and issued 13 walks.

There was a 15-minute delay in the top of the seventh inning while the lights turned on.

The two teams combined for 27 left on-base, with Webster recording 18 and UMass Boston nine.

McCormick snapped an 0-16 streak to start the season with his RBI single in the first inning.

Wednesday's game marked the first-ever meeting between the two programs.

WHO'S NEXT

#18 UMass Boston will take on fellow 2017 College World Series Participant Washington & Jefferson College (Pa.) on Thursday at 10:30 a.m.